Chapter 3

The sunlight had already bathed the earth for over an hour. Not far from the city gate, about thirty yards away, a carriage pulled by two black horses had been parked there since the sun rose. The curtain of the carriage would occasionally be lifted, revealing a gaze that searched and looked into the distance, clearly showing the owner's anxiety.

Finally, when the curtain was lifted again and the gaze searched once more, a tall figure appeared before her eyes. Before she could react, the figure unexpectedly walked straight toward her.

"D-Di... Dean..."

After pushing open the carriage door, Lanie jumped down without any regard for her status or demeanor, wanting to rush toward the man who had been on her mind. But as soon as she lifted her leg, she remembered that the current situation was all her fault, making it worse and uncontrollable.

He must be here to blame me, right?

Hesitation filled Lanie's heart, and the negative thoughts made her unable to move a step. Especially when she saw the man she had been waiting for running toward her in a hurry, it confirmed her thoughts—this was something that the usual Dean would never do.

Unless he is very happy... or very angry!

Even if he slaps me, I have to explain clearly!

The young lady of the Havillar family told herself this, gritted her teeth, and prepared to endure the slap.

Then... she received a hug, an unexpected hug. The suddenness and the unique feeling made the face of the young lady, who was well-known in Emerald City, turn red. The heat on her face even made her smart brain momentarily confused, and she didn't even hear her beloved's words clearly.

"Lanie, it's been a long time!"

"Um, um..."

The young lady nodded mechanically. The scent at her nose made her eyes start to blur, and her body began to feel weak.

"Wait for me, give me a year! I will come back, and I will return with honor!"

Dean held the woman in his arms and solemnly made a promise—last life, it was because of the lack of this promise that the woman in his arms, a year and a half later, committed suicide before her family-arranged engagement. By the time he received the news, the Blood Moon War had already broken out, and not only could he not see her again, but with the fall of Emerald City, he didn't even have the chance to visit her grave.

Even though he had chopped up her fiancé, the deputy leader of the Central Knights who had defected, and fed him to the dogs, what good did it do?

Lost is lost!

And only after losing it did he learn to cherish it.

Dean had mocked himself countless times for his naivety back then, being hurt by such low-level verbal attacks from those people, which harmed a woman who cherished him. Thinking of that ridiculous act of avoidance, his arms tightened involuntarily, and even the coachman couldn't bear to watch.

"Cough, cough... Knight Dean Ken, please, be mindful, this is the street!"

The coachman's reminder brought Dean back to his senses, and it also brought Lanie back to her senses. The young lady immediately covered her face and jumped back into the carriage when Dean loosened his arms. Only the upper part of her face, including her nose, was visible through the window frame, her eyes, like sapphires, looking at Dean with a mix of tension and shyness, as well as the passersby who were looking at her kindly.

"Remember, wait for me! One year!"

Dean reminded Lanie again, and the young lady nodded repeatedly to show that she understood. However, the previous hug had clearly made her very shy, and she only showed her eyes, not her beautiful face.

"Take care of Lanie!"

With a smile, Dean looked at Lanie one more time and then turned his gaze to Lanie's most loyal servant. The coachman's face was filled with blessings and determination as he said, "I swear by my life!"

The coachman said the same words as in his previous life, and Dean accepted his oath but was determined not to let such a thing happen again.

The brief meeting was about to end. Just as Dean, with reluctance, turned to leave, Lanie pushed open the carriage door and jumped down again. She tiptoed, quickly kissed Dean's face, and at the same time, handed him a bag. Then, in Dean's astonishment, she quickly climbed back into the carriage.

Then, the carriage, urged by the coachman's whip, sped away.

Standing in place, Dean held the bag full of jewelry, subconsciously touching the spot on his cheek where the girl had kissed him. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. He picked up his backpack and, with a faster and more determined pace, quickly walked out of the city gate—after all, the impending war and the enemies he hated so much didn't leave him much time to prepare.

Of course, there were some things or people he needed to deal with before leaving.

So, after leaving the city gate, Dean's already fast pace became even faster, almost like a sprint. The chaotic footsteps following him became even clearer.

"Boy, you can't run!"

'Bat' Sally, seeing Dean sprinting, naturally thought he was trying to escape. After all, without the protection of the Central Knights, how could a mere civilian be his match?

Thinking of how Dean, relying on the Central Knights, had ruined several of his major deals, Sally's heart felt like it was bleeding. Then, this well-known figure in certain districts of Emerald City shouted at his three subordinates, "Hurry, catch him, I want him to suffer!"

Immediately, the three subordinates sped up.

However, no matter how fast they ran, Dean always seemed to be a step ahead. They could only chase after his back—first, they left the city gate area, then the main street of Emerald City, and finally, a field.

When they finally stopped, they were standing in a wilderness.

Fortunately, the boy who had been running ahead finally ran out of steam, panting and barely able to stand.

"Go!"

'Bat' Sally, also panting, was overjoyed to see his target finally run out of steam. He waved at his subordinates and charged forward himself—'Bat' Sally was not a particularly brave person, as his nickname 'Bat' suggested.

However, when facing Dean, Sally changed his usual style. Besides his hatred for Dean, he also knew very well that Dean, though a member of the Central Knights, was very ordinary in strength, or rather, the entire Central Knights were quite ordinary.

After all, a knight order composed of rich people and nobles couldn't possibly be truly powerful.

Therefore, Sally was very confident in taking down this boy who had ruined several of his deals. However, before that, he wanted to make him feel some pain!

So, the dagger in Sally's hand didn't aim for Dean's vital points but for his arm.

The dagger, accompanied by a whistling sound, stabbed toward Dean's arm, and Sally's face was full of a sinister smile. He couldn't wait to hear Dean's screams.

However, the next moment, a cold flash appeared.

Feeling a chill on his neck, Sally instinctively touched it, and immediately, blood gushed out like a fountain, staining everything in front of him red.

But Dean had already dodged a moment earlier, and not a drop of blood touched him, just like when he was an assassin—though he no longer had the strength and speed of that time, his experience and skills were still there, and he did quite well.

After all, he was now facing just a street thug, far from the powerful figures he had faced in the past.

In fact, even if he had returned to his eighteen-year-old self, Dean had long forgotten about 'Bat' Sally. If it weren't for Sally appearing before him, Dean wouldn't have remembered such a person—compared to the people he would encounter in the future, Sally was too insignificant.

However, to some people, Sally was a big shot—

"You, you killed Boss Sally!"

One of Sally's subordinates shouted.

The response was the cold edge of a sword. Three consecutive sounds later, the three subordinates, who looked strong but were only capable of fooling ordinary people, followed Sally's fate.

For such people who relied on fraud and extortion to ruin others' lives, Dean would never show mercy, whether it was the current him or the past him.

Of course, Dean knew that these were just pawns on the surface.

As for who the mastermind was?

Dean's heart coldly laughed. He was very clear about the temperament and character of his former superior, the deputy leader of the Central Knights.

"It's not the right time to take him down, but some interest is necessary..."

Thinking of something, Dean's eyes narrowed, and a cold light flashed.

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